I finally got my car back after stupid amounts of time and numerous problems that I am trying to iron out. I am having a problem that has happened 4 times now, only when the car is hot, the first time it happened I had just fuelled up and it was a hot day already the car just unexpectedly stalled in the middle of a corner so I used the starter to move it to a safe place where I wasnt holding up traffic, I checked the (S2) PTU plugs and the CAS plug and they were fine. So I sat there trying to ring around and got no help. So after some 10 - 15 mins I decided to use the starter motor to move the car to somewhere that was a little more convenient if it needed to be towwed and as I was cranking it it fired and then cut out, so I went again and it started and then was fine for the whole rest of that day. Now today on the way home on the highway the car started to stutter and feel like it was running out of fuel, and once again I had to use the starter to move the car to a safe place (thank god its a manual) I sat there for 10 - 15 mins and it started again, I drove it home and got some bottles of water and then went out to where I needed to go and was only parked for about 20 mins and then came back to find that it wouldnt start so I tried pouring the cold water onto the PTU and the CAS thinking that it must be a heat related issue for it to restart after 10 - 15 minutes both times but that didnt seem to advance the starting process So again after some time the car started and I made my way home and as I was just about home it stuttered and stalled again and I managed to roll the car home. Now incase that wasnt enough details, all 4 times that this happened the fuel pump (which is wired to be powered with the ignition) seemed to sound like it was pulsing and at the same rate the engine light was dimming. The first time (after i had filled it up) it spat about a litre of fuel out of the fuel cap but none of the other times that happened. Also the car has a Link ECU I did search after the first time this happened and found a post on a forum that mentioned someone having something similar to this happen but I cant seem to find it anymore. However while I was searching tonight I seen something that mentioned vapour lock, which with the fuel pump pulsing kind of made me think that may be something to look into. Any help would be appreciated.
First spot to start is check all the connectors under the bonnet for corrosion/breakage and loose fit. Especially the Injector - Coil - P.T.U -C.A.S. I bought my Zed cheap thinking it needed a new motor. The symptons were that it would die when you pushed the gas pedal down then would take 1/2 to 1 hours to restart. Turned out being corroded injector connectors. Just replaced them oil and has been great since. Check for sale sections as members sell them new cheap. Cheers Dave
Sorry after all that detail I still forgot to add, the motor just had a rebuild, and all new engine harness
Check the Fuel Pump is working properly(as previously suggested)and if so, inspect your Fuel line for damage/flattened/blockage. Assuming all those are OK, check/remove your Fuel Filter(you can join the two pipes with a short length of Fuel Hose)and see if the problem re-occurs. Running without the Filter won't cause any problems if only done for a short amount of time(few hours if necessary). Be systematic(start from one end of the system and work to the other end, eliminating each potential problem area as you go). If all this fails, report back to this bunch of genius guru's for some more advice.
I have a customers car at work at the moment with what sounds like an identical problem. The problem here started after a new wiring harness was installed. First thing I will be checking is the crimp joints in the harness about 20cm from the ecu connector. This car also has a varied fuel pump pitch at constant speed, load and rpm. The fpcu in this one has been bypassed so there is no real reason the pump speed should be changing other than fluctuating voltage. If I find a cause I will post up here to let you know.
Well hopefully the problem was just bad fuel to the point of vapor locking, It only happened with that 1 tank of fuel, I put a new tank of fuel in yesterday from a different place and I drove it in the stinking hot sun today for a good 45 min run up the mountains and back and it didnt have any dramas, so im hoping that perhaps thats all it was. Although I did notice that when I first started it on saturday (the first start after I only just got it rolled home) It gave a little backfire when it started which leaves me to believe that it was still pushing fuel through into the exhaust yeah?
